I, too, love blackberry...

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Posted by Anne Beltestad on July 15, 2004 at 11:26:51:

In reply to: How to get a better stain...... posted by vini on July 15, 2004 at 07:41:27:

and find it hard to get. Leaving the henna on overnight and steaming it in the
morning seems to help push beyond cherry to the dark dark DARK I crave on my
palms.
In my case henna color is very quickly affected by stress - any hint of worry or hassle
and i get nice red but not those plummy dark purply-blacks I love. Hormones also
play a role, as does diet and exercise.
It could be you are leaving your henna too long - in hot or humid weather 12 hours
might be a bit much. I was letting my henna "cook" at each stage for 12-24 hours,
and believe I was killing its freshness. Try 6 or 8 hours - this seems to help me - and
see what happens. You could also be using too much terp - I use, maximum, 10-20
drops to two *tablespoons* of powder.
Also - Henna is just finicky. Since you've been doing this for so long you know how
the same batch can turn red on one person and brown on her sister, very very dark on
the bride and pale on the groom, and so on.
It's my personal superstition (completely unsupported by science) that I have to
"switch" hennas every few months or so. I usually have one "main" henna (mostly
Kenzi's excellent fresh Moroccan) and some "side" or "test" hennas I use to give the
main one a "break." I know this sounds funny but it seems to work, gives me a
chance to experiment a bit without leaving behind what works.
I'm a big believer in "if it ain't broke don't fix it" - this goes for using the henna YOU
like as well as for accepting the color you get. Henna will always be in a range of
reddish-brownish purplish-maroonish colors, of which the blackberry, black cherry
and espresso colors are simply one small part. When I first started, I didn't want red
stains on my skin, believing that red would look bad with my bluish-reddish fair
coloring. Luckily I found real henna before experimenting any further with "black
henna" - and learned to really love the natural color on my skin. It's my theory (again
unsupported by science!) that henna stains to a good color for each person on which
it's applied. The colors I get look really good on me - and same with my olive- and
chocolate-skinned friends.
My advice is to keep trying, experimenting and playing...let us know what you find!

Anne

New York City Henna

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: and find it hard to get. Leaving the henna on overnight and steaming it in the : morning seems to help push beyond cherry to the dark dark DARK I crave on my : palms. : In my case henna color is very quickly affected by stress - any hint of worry or hassle : and i get nice red but not those plummy dark purply-blacks I love. Hormones also : play a role, as does diet and exercise. : It could be you are leaving your henna too long - in hot or humid weather 12 hours : might be a bit much. I was letting my henna "cook" at each stage for 12-24 hours, : and believe I was killing its freshness. Try 6 or 8 hours - this seems to help me - and : see what happens. You could also be using too much terp - I use, maximum, 10-20 : drops to two tablespoons of powder. : Also - Henna is just finicky. Since you've been doing this for so long you know how : the same batch can turn red on one person and brown on her sister, very very dark on : the bride and pale on the groom, and so on. : It's my personal superstition (completely unsupported by science) that I have to : "switch" hennas every few months or so. I usually have one "main" henna (mostly : Kenzi's excellent fresh Moroccan) and some "side" or "test" hennas I use to give the : main one a "break." I know this sounds funny but it seems to work, gives me a : chance to experiment a bit without leaving behind what works. : I'm a big believer in "if it ain't broke don't fix it" - this goes for using the henna YOU : like as well as for accepting the color you get. Henna will always be in a range of : reddish-brownish purplish-maroonish colors, of which the blackberry, black cherry : and espresso colors are simply one small part. When I first started, I didn't want red : stains on my skin, believing that red would look bad with my bluish-reddish fair : coloring. Luckily I found real henna before experimenting any further with "black : henna" - and learned to really love the natural color on my skin. It's my theory (again : unsupported by science!) that henna stains to a good color for each person on which : it's applied. The colors I get look really good on me - and same with my olive- and : chocolate-skinned friends. : My advice is to keep trying, experimenting and playing...let us know what you find! : : Anne
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